Process and apparatus j



A. LEDERER.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING FILAMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30. 1914.

1,419,153, 7 Patented June 13, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WlTNESSES: I mvmon AM Zea/emf ATTORNEY A. LEDERER.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING FILAMENTS.

APPLICATlON FILED 02c. 30. 1914.

1,419,153. Patented June 13, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/ l I- f 90 92 40 I INVENTOR m ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTON LEDIERER, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION 033 PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING FILAMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 13, 1922,

Application filed December 30, 1914. Serial No. 879,761.

To (all whom it may concern lie it lrnown that I, An'ron Lnnnnna, a subject of the Emperor of Austriall:ungary, and a resident of V'enna, Austria, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes and r'ipparatus for Bending Filamerits, oi which the following is a specification.

invention relates to the manufacture of filaments that are bent into zigzag form, and it has special reference to the manufacture of bent filaments 'lior incandescent electric lamps.

One object oi my invention is to provide a process or forming alternate bends, oi? predetermined length and ai'igular extent, in a continuously--supplied filament oi wire or other pliable material.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for annealing the filament bent in the manner abov described and thereby causing it to permanently retain its bent sl rape.

A further object of my invention is to proride an autoinaticallyoperated machine for carrying out the process described above.

ilk still iiiirther object of my invention is to rovide a machine for bending lamp lilaments in the manner described above and for thereai'ter placing the bent filaments in its permanent position upon the usual filament sup iiorts olf incandescent electric lamps.

in the accompanying drawing, Fig. l is a vertical sectional View, with parts shown in elevation, oi a machine constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention; liig. is a plan View, partially in section, of a portion oi? the machine shown in Fig i; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View oi? a cam ring which forms a portion of my drwice, and Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view showing a train of gearing suitable for actuating the various parts of my device.

ln the inanullacture ol' inraindescent electrio lamps. especially such lamps as are pro vided with metallic filaments arranged in zigzag form, it is desirable to give the lilament a preliminary bending treatment before it is placed in position upon the filament supports of the lamps, and my process and apparatus are designed to accomplish this result. According to the modification of my invention shown in the drawing, the wire or other incandesmant filament is gis'tll the desired zigzag shape by forming it upon a temporary supporting frame, which is made up of supporting points or fingers that are relatively disposed in a relation similar to the relation between the supports found in completed lamps. When the filament is thus mounted and formed on the temporary supporting 'lrame, its shape is substantially that which it is finally to assume in the lamp.

The machine by which my process is carried out consists essentially of a cylinder provided with a set of radially projecting pins that are relatively arranged in the manner described above, the cylinder being adapted to be intermittently rotated. During the intervals between such intermittent rotary movements, a filament-carrying guide performs a hall reciprocation adjacent to the pins upon the cylinder, thereby passing the lilament between the pins and winding it upon the successive pins that are presented at e: ch step-by-step movement of the cylinder. (hie or both of the series of pins are movable both axially and radially. The axial move ment provided tlor the purpose o'l adjusting the distance between the series of pins, and the radial movement of the pins is provided in order to release the filament from he pins after it has been bent. Means are also provided for applying electric. current to certain of the pins which carry the bent filament upon them, for the purpose of heat ing to incandescence the bent portions of the filament between such pins and thereby annealing them. ln order to prevent oxidation ot the heated incandescent body, the bending operation may be carried out in an inert atlllOSPllGl'G, if desired. I also provide a de vice for holding filament supports for lamps Oil the usual type, together with a feeding device by means oil which the bent filament may be applied to the lilament supports, this teeding device being synchronized with the feeding device which forms a part of the filament-bending machine.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may now be had to Fig. l of the accompanying drawing, wherein is shown a bed plate 1 which supports the various parts oi my apparatus and which, as shown, is secured beneath table 2 but which may be supported in any other convenient manner. Rigidly secured to the base plate 1. is a cylindrical column 3 which is surrounded by a rotatable shell 4 provided, at its lower edge, with a flange 5 to which is secured, in any convenient manner, as by means of screws 6,

a ratchet wheel 7 thatis adapted to intermittently rotate the shell 4:. Near the top of the rotatable shell cylinder at is formed a flange 8, upon which rests a ring 9 to which is secured a ring 10, of insulating material, inwhich is fastened, in any suitable manner, a series of outwardly extending pins 11 which are equally spaced around the periphery of the ring 10 and are preferably given a slight downward inclination.

Rigidly secured to the top of the column 3 is a cylindrical cap 15 that carries, on its upper side, a screw 16. The screw 16 is engaged by a nut 17 to which is secured a ring 18 that is received in an annular groove l9 in the neck of a bell-shaped member 20, the lower end of which is formed into a flange 21 to which is secured a ring 22 of insulating material that carries a series of contact buttons 23 of conducting material. Each of the contact buttons 28 is provided with an opening in which is disposed a pin 24, the holes in the buttons 23 being slightly inclined upwardly. The pins 24: are radially movable in these holes, and are provided, at their inner ends, with heads 25 that rest against the lace oi: a cam ring 26 which, as

shown in Fig. 3, is nearly circular in cross section, but 1s provlded with a flattened side 27 which is disposed to the right, as seen in Fig. 1. Eachoit the pins 24L is surrounded by a helical compression spring 28 which presses the pin against the -face of the cam ring 26 and, when the pin is opposite to the flattened portion 27 of the cam ring 26, withdraws the outer end of the pin into the button By adjusting the nut 17 on the screw 16, the bell-shaped member 20 may be raised and lowered so that the distance between the series of pins 11 and the series oi? pins may be varied according to the heights oi the filament-supportingtrames of various sizes of lamps.

In order to cause the bell-shaped member 20 to move in unison with the step-by-step rotation of the shell l, 1 provide a series of downwardlyextending pins 30, the upper ends of which are secured to the flange 21 and extend through apertures in the rings 9 and 10 and in the flange 8. This arrangement permits the vertical adjustment oi the bell-shaped member 20 without disturbing the powcr-transmitting connection between the members 4t. and 20.

Disposed beside the shell 4% is a vertical guide member 31 in which a rack 82 is adapted to slide. The rack 82 carries adjustably at its upper end, a guide bushing The rack 32 is given a vertical recipror-atory movement bv any suitable mechanism, .an example oi which will be described hereinafter, and the guide bushthe other brush.

31, is a spool 86 which carries a supply of wire or other filament material. The filament 37 is passed through the guide bushing 33 andis drawn from the spool 36 by the movement imparted to the guide bushing by i the rack 32.

For the purpose of annealing the filament wire after it is wound upon the pins 11 and 24, in order to make the bends permanent and also in order to neutralize the tension of the material caused by the bending, I

provide means for applying electric current to successive bent portions of the filament. As best shown in Fig. 2, such means comprises a pair of brushes 38 and 39 secured in brush holders ll) and 411 and supplied with electric current from a battery 42 through conductors 4-3 and i4, respectively. The brushes 38 and 39 rest upon the smooth circular periphery of the insulating ring22, and are so spaced that they simultaneously engage two of the buttons 28 which, as stated above, are made of conducting material. Current thereupon enters the button 23, pin 24: and the portion oi the filament 37 carried upon such pin, and leaves the filament through the pin 24 which is received in the button 23 that is engaged by The section of the wire between the brushes thereupon becomes heated and thereby annealed. In order to avoid oxidation of the wire while it is exposed to the current, the entire winding device may be enclosed within a bell jar or other suitable casing which may be filled with nitrogen or some other inert gas through a pipe 96.

From the foregoing discussion, it will be evident that the intermittent rotation of the shell 4: together with the vertical reciprocation of the bushing carrying the filament ill, will result in winding the filament in a zigzag line around the pins 11 and 24:. By reason oi the circular form of that portion of the cam ring 26 that its adjacent to the bushing 83, the pins 24 are pressed outward into position to receive the filament wire, while, on. the opposite side, the flattened portion 27 of the cam ring 26 permits the springs 28 to withdraw the pins and thereby release the wire. The pins are again caused to protrude from the buttons before they again rotate into position to receive other turns Oiii wire. In this manner, the winding device may be continuously operated until the supply of filament wire on the spool 36 is exhausted. The bent filament wire may either be wound upon a spool or immediately passed to a feeding device which winds the bent filament upon the filament supports of lamps. Such a filament mounting device sho n at the right of Fig. 1 and will now in cribed. llotatably mounted upon a plate 425 that rests upon the bed plate 1 is a vertical shaft 46 that carries at its lower end, a spur gear wheel 4:? and a ratchet wheel 48 and which carries, at its upper end. a support 49 provided with a suitable chuck to receive a lamp arbor 50. which may be of the usual type employed in'incandescent lamps. The sup port 429 should also be equipped with a suitable support 51 for the hooks of the lower filamentsupporting spider that is secured to the arbor 50. hiigidly secured to the plate is a standard 55, to which is adiustably secured a bracket 56 DiOVlfltKl its outer end with a bearing' 5'4 in which is slidably disposed a too 58 provided with a knob 59 and with a pin 60 l r limiting the downward movement of the rod 55 Surroundiiu: the lower end of the rod 58 is a flanged sleeve til. to the lower side ct which is attached spur gear wheel 52. A. bracket 63 nder side ot the gear wheel is secured to the u 62 and carries, at its lower end, support (3- 2 which is QClZ-lPiJQtl to receive the upper supporting spider that is attached to the arbor 50. The su iports a9 and (i l are caused to rotate intermittently in unison with each other and with the intermittent movement of the shell 4i: of the bending device. in order to cause them to rotate in unison with each other I provide a pinion 65 meshing with the n ar wheel 4-17 and an elrmuated p n-- ion (36 meshing; with the gear wheel 62. The pinions '65 and (56 are both secured to a vertical shaft 67.. the lower end of which is re ceived in a bearing in the plate 45 and the upper end ci which is received in a bearing; in a bracket 68 that is carried by the standard 55.

In order to guide the bent filament to the hooks with which the filament suppiuft is provideih a vertical guide 70 is disposed near the shaft 46 and, upon this guide, a rack it is adapted to be reciprocateo in unison with the rack 2-32 which forms a part oil t bendilti ingg device. The rack T1 carries a guide 72 provided with an opening through which the filament 37 is caused to pass.

The supporting devices 4-9, 51 and 59 to S t may be variously modified as convenience may require... the result to be attained by these supporting members being; to hold in position the exceeiilinn iy tine hooks ot the lllament-s1":pportingy frame while mounting the filament in ord r to prevent the hooks from being: bent out of shape. The supports must, of course, be movable in order that supportingl rames with their hooks may be inserted in tl feeding device and removed i rom it after the filament has been applied. ln the structure shown in Fig. 1. such rela tive moveinen is effected by rai. inc; the rod by means of the knob 59. Wheu a new that numerous other PO\VtET-ttl)plying d for causing the ratchet wheel "4" which drires the shell l, and the latch 1 w l which drives the shaft ll to in unison and for causing: the

oi? the rate let wheels 7 and do. understood that the in the drawings merely illustratr may be readily adapted to this purpose. it;

shown diagrammatically and in developnient in Fig. 4h a driving motor 75 is pro-- vided with an armature shaft 76 carryin a worm 7? inizshing with a worm wheel 1 55 that is secured to a vertical shalt W. St?- cured to the gear wheel '78 is a wrist pin 80 which rotates in a yoke 8L secured to one end of a reciprocating rack 82 that meshes with a pinion 83 securfll to a horizontal shaft 84: which carries two similar pinions 85 and 86. The pinion S5 meshes with the vertical rack 32, and the pinion so his? hes with the vertical rack Tl T he diniei'isions oil the opening oil? the yok 5"} are s the wrist pin 80 will e'tlect internii ciprocation ot the rack 89. 'blince the pinions 85 and 86 are of equal size the racks (152 and ll. will be reciprocated at equal times and for equal distances. and the guides 33 and 7 will therefore "Feed the filament wire siinultaneously and for equal dis-stances.

The gear wheel 78 meshes with a smaller gear wheel 8'? having one-hal l? many teeth the near wl'leel 78. .lhe ear wheel HT carries a wrist pin co-operaiiug i and 99 and, consequently. to the shell 4; and the support L9. vSince the {rear wheel 87 has only one-halil as many teeth as the gear wheel. '78 it makes two rotations during each rotation of the gear wheel 78, and the ratchet wheels 7 and 4-8 are tl'ieretore operated twice during each complete reciprocation 01-" the racks 32 and l and the filament guides 153 and 72.

The steps of process and the structural details of my apparatus may be Vlll()l"l" modified without departing from the spa and scope oi my invei'ition. and it is i'll3ll'(- fore to be umflerstood that my invent not restricted to the precise embodiment herein shown and described, but that it comprehends all such modifications as tall with in the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A. ilament-bending machine com ing' a set of forming ingers, supporte means carrying; said forming means tor lnipartinp; intermittr 1t movement to the said supporting means, and a reciprocaliile guide member mounted tor mo rement in n. rectilinear path. for applying a filament to one of the said fingers during; each of the.

3. A lilamentbending machine comprising a rotatable support, means tor imparting; intermittent rotation to the said sumriort. two series of pins radially cxti. idin item the said support, and an intermittently rociprocating guide member arranged to more in a rectilinear path for applying a lilament to the said pins during the said inter mittent movemen ot the d cylinder.

i. A lilament-bendi11g machine comprising a rotatable cylindrical member, means for imparting intermittent rotation to the said member, two series of pins radially es;- tending 'lrom the said member, and an intermittently reciprocable filamentuidins device adapted to reciprocate in a rectilinear path adjacent to the said cyliinilrical member and in a direction parallel. to its axis, tor winding the said filament upon the said pins.

5. A filament-bending machine comprising means for supporting a set of 'l r1'1in, fingers, means tor imparting intermittem; movement to the said suppmtinp; means, and mean for applying a lilimient to one of the said fingers during each of the said. intermittent movements of the said. supportin means, the said filamentnpplying means comprising a filament guiding member adapted to reciprocate in a rectilinear path adjacent to the said pins during the intervals between the said intermittent movement of the said supporting means.

i: .J. or imp arting intermittent iii movement to the said member, a set of pins radially extendfrom the said member, an, intermittently reciprocating guide i'nei'nbor arranged to travel in a rectilinear path for applying a filament to one of the said pins during each oi? the said intermittent movements oi? the said cylindrical members, and means for causing the said pins to successively release the said filament.

8. A filament-bending machine comprising a rotatable support, means for imparting intermittent rotation to the said support, two series of pins radially extending from the said. support, an interinitte-mtly reciprocating guide member arranged to move in a rectilinear path for applying a filament to the said pins (hiring the said intermittent movement oi. the said cylinder, and means for causing, the said pin to successively release the said filament.

A filament-bending machine compris ingrotatable cylindrical support, a pluraiity oi? pins radially associated "with the said support, a relatively stationary cam for causing each of the said pin to notrude from said support and for thereafter permitting it to be withdrmvn into the said support, and. springs for pressing, the said pins into engagement with the said cam.

l0. Afilament-bending machine comprising}; a circular support, a set of pins as sociatcd with he said support and radially movable with respect thereto, and another set of pins also associated with the said support and movable with respect to the said first-named set of pins, the pins in the said last-named set being radially fixed with re 'spect to the said support.

11. A filament-bending; machine comprising a movable support, a set of pins associated with the said support and adapted to move therewith, a second support loosely associated with the said movable support, a second set oil? pins secl'lred to the said second support, and means for connectiiug the said two supports to move in unison, the said connecting means permitting the distance between the said sets of pins to be varied.

12. A filament-bowling machine comprising a rotatable support, a set of pins radially mounted in the said support and adapted to H1 ember, 111921115 project from its periphery, the said pins being adapted tor iiulividual radial movement with respect to the said cylindrical support, a second support loosely associated with the said first-named support and carrying a second of radially disposed and individually immovable pins, and pins secured to the said. first-namei'l support and extending through openings in the said second support.

13. A filament-bending machine comprising a set of pins adapted to have a filament bent upon them and disposed in spaced members of electrical conductingmaterial that are arranged upon a movable support of non-conducting material, electric contact members adapted to engage the said movable support and so spaced apart as to simultaneously engage two of the said conducting buttons, and. means for energizing the said contact members.

14. A. filament-hendingmachine comprising a rotatable support carrying a member of electrical insulating material having a circular periphery coaxial with the axis of the said support, spaced buttons of electrical conducting material disposed in the said insulating: member and carrying outwardly projecting pins, the outer surfaces of the said buttons being substantially even with the periphery of the said insulating member, a pair of electric contact brushes adapted to the periphery of the said insulating member and so spaced apart as to simultaneously engage two of the said conducting buttons, and means for energizing the said brushes.

A filament-forming machine comprising means for forming bends in a continuous filament, and means operating synchrononsly with the said bending means, for simultaneously mounting bent portions of the same filament upon filament supports For incandescent lamps.

16. A filament-forming machine comprisinn means for forming bends in continuous filament, and means operating synchronously with the said bending means, for simultaneously mounting bent portions of the same filament upon filament supports for incandescent lamps, the said bending means and. the said mounting means each compris ing an intermittently rotatable support, a filament guide adapted to reciprocate adjacent to the said support and in timed rela tion thereto, and means for intermittently rotating: the said. supports in unison and for reciprocating the said guides in unison.

17. A process of forming a filament for an incandescent lamp that comprises forming zigzag bends in a length of filament material, applying electric current to suecessively bent sections of the said filament to anneal it and to cause it to retain its bent form, and mounting the said bent and annealed filament upon a filament support for an incandescent lamp.

1%. A process of forming a filament for an incandescent lamp that comprises torming zigzag bends at predetermined intervals in a length of filament wire, applying electric current to bent sections of the said fila ment in succession, and mounting the said filament upon a filament support iior an incandescent lamp.

19. A process of forming; a filament tor an incandescent lamp that comprises forming zigzag bends at predetermined. intervals in a length of filament wire, and applying electric current to bent sections of said filament in succession.

20. The method of shaping straight tung sten. wire of great length into sinuous zigag term by a continuous operation consisting in t'eeding the wire through a shaping device which bends the wire passingthrough it into a zigzag form with uniformly recurring bends, heating each convolution while in the shaping device to set it, and. releasing a shaped convolution from said device for each new convolution formed from the straight wire.

21. The method of shaping straight ti'ingsten wire of great length. into sinuous zigzag filaments by a continuous operation consisting; of feeding the wire through a shaping device which bends the wire passing through it into a sign/sap- 'lorm consisting of convolutions with unilbrmly recurring bends and holds a plurality oi convolutions side by side after forming them, heating the straight portions of each convolution to incandesccnce in succession and while the convolution is still. held in said device, and releasing the shaped convolution from said device for each new convolution formed from the straight wire.

22. A. filament forming machine comprising a shaper constructed to impart a zigzag form to a wire stretched on it, a wire guide for stretching a'wirc on said shaper, driving; means for producing relative movement of said sh aper and said guide to stretch a wire on said shaper in zigzag form, and means controlled by said driving mechanism for heating and setting the wire while it is stretched on said shaper.

23. A filament forming machine comprisinga shaper constructed to impart a zigzag form to a wire and mounted to travel, a wire guide movable transversely to the line of travel of said shaper, driving mechanism for actuating said shaper and said guide in deifinite relation to each other to stretch a wire on the shaper in zigzag form, and means for heating each loop of the zigzag Wire in succession and thereby setting the wire permanently while said wire is stretched on said shaper.

24. A. filament forming machine comprising a rotatable shaper provided on its rim With radial projections arranged in two circumferential rows, a Wire guide mounted to move across the rim of? said shapei' and to pass through both rows of projections, driving mechanism for rotating said shaper and moving said Wire guide to and fro to bend a Wire around a projection in one row and then in the other alternately and. thereby stretch the Wire on said shaper in a zigzag form, and means controlled by said driving mechanism for passing current through each loop of the zigzag in succession While the Wire is stretched on the shaper to give said Wire a permanent set.

25. A filament forming machine compri ing a traveling shaper having a plurality of pins on its surface, a Wire guide to move back and :forth across the surface of said shaper, driving means for moving said shaper and said guide relatively to each other to stretch the Wire from said guide on said pins in a zigzag form, means encountered by said. pins at a point in their travel beyond said guide for causing current to flow through each loop of the ire in succession as it passes a predeteri'nined point, and means cooperating with said shaper at a subsequent point, in its travel for automatically stripping said formed filament from the pins.

Intestimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this ninteenth day of Dec. 1917.

AN TON LEDERER. 

